Jerkiness
 

so i just got my rx8 a couple days ago, and im finding the ride kind of jerky. although i am a new stick driver and still getting used to it, ive had others drive it and tell me the same. Rotary-RX8 even told me his clutch is stiffer than mine and it is a little jerky compared to his, what could this be? :dunno:

Ever heard the phrase, "It's not the bow, it's the indian."

In other words..........."OE"................Operator Error.

You will learn in time.

Overkill
 

I can tell by your siggy that you're driving an '04. To me, that indicates that the clutch may have been replaced at some point. Sometimes, people with aspirations of building high HP cars install clutches that are overkill for the car...

That could be your issue... But it wont cause you any problems, and you'll get used to it.

so nothing to worry about basically?

Not really, unless you have someone with more experience drive it and get a bad report from him.

It has to be an RX8 owner, not just someone with a manual anything.

My 2 cents.

Yah, there's one thing to worry about... how much wear and tear you're going to put on your car while you're learning how to drive it.

It would probably do you some good to ride along with more RX8 owners (who know how to drive a standard the way it should be driven) and get some tips while actually watching the technique.

i already know how to drive it well its been a couple days im used to it

Yea every car I have ever owned has been a manual and the rx8 was definitely different to drive. Now if I drove another stick I think I would definitely miss this car and how it shifts.

If you have $500-1000 laying around check craigslist and buy a cheap beater with a stick. You could get the basic experience you need without tearing up your rx8, and then sell the beater a month or so later for what you bought it for. Either that or do as others have said and find a local rx8 owner that could check your car out and maybe give you some help in learning.

you think a couple days is all you need to be a good stick driver lol .

obviously im not "good" yet
im just saying im getting better.

How I teach my kids, and wife...

Go to the Bus loop at local school (on Saturday). Practice 1st gear starts, from idle, not touching the accelerator... Then 2nd gear starts with accelerator. No wheel spin allowed. Get to where you can do 10 straight...

The clutch on the RX8 is incredibly sensitive for a stock clutch, even compared to an AP1 S2000, Lotus Exige, and Evo 9 MR Ive driven. It may be harder to drive smooth than other manual cars, but it is not impossible. Its all about practicing rev matching and knowing your engagement points.

ya learning stick on a rx8 is not the best car, not because its a sports car. but like you said because of the clutch being small and sensitive. but it can be done of course, i personally learned on to drive stick on a rx8.

I very much preferred the touchy take-up point on my RX8's clutch. Every time I rev-matched downshifted, or hit a particularly fast, flawless upshift, it rewarded you by letting you know you did it. I could drive that thing so perfectly smooth, but it took more concentration, and that's all part of the visceral experience of driving a sports car. It's about precision.

It might seem silly, but the thing I can compare it to is playing golf with a set of blades instead of oversized beginner clubs. Will anyone that's not a pro have more mis-hits with the blades? Hell ya, but when you understand what the club is communicating to you, you can improve your ball striking, and become a better player. It's sort of like that... maybe nobody else plays golf. :dunno:

I had a used 04 and it was overly twitchy in low revs and it needed a new Cat converter.. so the dealership said..

thats kind of how mine is. lower rpms it seems jerky
should i go have them look at the cat?

if you're under warranty yes otherwise a new cat from them will run you about 1k

It could also be a good excuse to replace your cat with a midpipe...

Stop jerking it, then it will stop jerking :lol2:

I had mine replaced free under some federal warranty act. Had something to do with regulations changing for fuel consumption or emissions or something.

if he doesn't have emission testing in his state yes. otherwise he'll prolly get a cel and fail inspection when that time comes around.
yeah IIRC they extended the warranty on the cat to 80k mi / 8 years but don't quote me on that

i have a new 2010 rx8 r3 (Now 3200 miles) and it jerks when not under throttle in 1st and 2nd gears.

Tips on smoother 1st gear start and shifting 1st to second?

I have yet to find a smooth way to accelerate quickly from a stop, not trying to drag or anything just normal acceleration.

what RPM are you at? the car doesn't have much low end power.